Daniel Cox spent more than 27 years as an Iola city employee, and a lifetime of hunting bargains.
“Basically, I’ve spent the past 40 years visiting flea markets,” said Cox, who recently opened a flea market of his own, This & That, 320 W. Garfield St.
Cox ramped up his flea marketing after retiring more than 11 years ago from the city’s Gas, Water and Wastewater Department.
That’s when he accumulated much of his die-cast car collection.
Cox also has collected Avon for most of his adult life. “You don’t see many guys do that,” he joked.
“When we’d go on vacations, I’d stop and see the flea markets,” Cox continued, estimating he’s visited nearly 5,000 in his lifetime.
In their trips to his wife’s hometown of West Plains in south-central Missouri, the couple chooses four routes because of their various offerings.
“I can tell you where every flea market is along each of those routes,” he said.
Cox also is familiar with the 67 flea markets that surround the Lake of the Ozarks.
Call him a second-hand store savant.
So why switch from buying to selling?
The answer boils down to combination of a lack of storage space at home and boredom, he responded.
“That’s where I’ve been this morning, sorting through things,” Cox said Tuesday morning, his day off from the store.
Cox has set up shop in the old Western Auto building on Garfield, which more recently was a clothing store, dance center and fitness center.
Inside the spacious interior sits a variety of sellers’ booths, hawking everything from name-brand clothing and furniture to power tools.
All of the booth space is taken (for now) but Cox is eager to visit with other prospective sellers. Just call him at 228-3868 (cell) or 365-5655 (home).
This & That is open six days a week (every day but Tuesday).
“It’s gone pretty well,” he said. “We’re changing out merchandise constantly.”
New flea market serves up ‘This & That’
